A significant expense incurred in connection with the operation of a fast food type restaurant or any other relatively informal type restaurant is the costs associated with disposable flatware and tableware. While it is necessary to make the flatware readily accessible to the consumer, there is a need to dispense the flatware in a sanitary manner and one which discourages the consumer from taking more than the necessary number of utensils.
Presently, most restaurants merely place the flatware in bins which are readily accessible to the consumer. The bins are generally open top containers which allows the consumer to remove any number of utensils simultaneously. Clearly, this encourages the consumer to take more utensils than needed which adds to the overall operating costs of the establishment. Also, because all of the flatware is exposed to the consumer, the consumer can readily come in contact with flatware which that particular consumer does not intend to use and consequently the flatware left in the bin may become contaminated. Moreover, because the bins are merely open topped containers, dust and other type contaminants can readily contact the flatware.
A dispensing unit which attempts to overcome a number of these shortcomings is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,782 issued to Gibbs et al. Therein a dispenser for flatware is disclosed wherein the flatware is loaded into a dispenser which is subsequently mounted within a casing such that the flatware can be removed by a consumer in a sequential fashion. This case however only accommodates spoons and forks, knives are individually inserted into openings in the casing. Further, the dispensers are filled with reusable flatware by placing individual spoons or forks into the dispenser with a latch member being positioned over the last utensil. This dispenser is then inserted into and retained within the casing. Accordingly, this dispenser unit is intended for dispensing reusable flatware and not prepackaged disposable flatware. Further, this dispenser does not limit the consumer's access to knives which are readily removable from the dispenser.
Therefore, there is clearly a need for a flatware dispensing unit for dispensing flatware wherein the flatware in the form of a prepackaged unit can be positioned within the dispensing unit without contact with the person loading the dispenser unit, one which protects the flatware from contamination once in the dispensing unit and one which while permitting the consumer access to the flatware inhibits the consumer from removing a significant number of flatware pieces at one time.